FLDS struggle beyond YFZ Ranch borders

Living anywhere else but at the YFZ Ranch keeps FLDS families in an otherworldly kind of limbo, said Tammy Jessop. Barbara and the other FLDS women living here describe their new accommodations on a suburban cul-de-sac as "camping out."

"We're not moving in. We are being very conservative and trying to find ways to bring in means to help out," Barbara said, noting that an older son found temporary work in the area and the family is looking into the idea of producing wooden toys to sell online.

"But this is not our home. The one thing that's helpful is that we have some family nearby. It means so much to know that Tammy is here to help me," Barbara said. Benjamin's eyes widen at the thought of one day returning to the YFZ Ranch with his mother and siblings where he can do what he misses most — and it's not riding bikes or playing with friends.

"I want to work. Whatever I'm asked to do. Working is fun," said Benjamin, whose bright red hair is a family trait. He's doing his best to help his mother and other FLDS family members now, building a chicken coop that sits on a narrow strip of yard and helping to care for the younger children.

Edson Jessop and his family were able to return to the YFZ Ranch in early June, although they remain under the state's child welfare system's oversight. Edson and his wife, Zavenda, are hopeful that CPS will release them from the restrictive plan they have been living under since they retrieved their four children from various shelters around the state.

For the past couple of months, more families have returned to the ranch and sounds of life as it used to be before the raid are beginning to fill the air. Weeds reach into the lower branches of hundreds of fruit trees, a vivid reminder that the ranch emptied out right at harvest season.

Zavenda bakes bread for the ranch store and Edson's carpenter skills are in high demand. Their children, Zachary, 10; Ephraim, 7; Russell, 6; and Anne, who just turned 4; are thrilled to be home with their parents on the ranch.

On a recent overcast day, the boys and their sister showed a Deseret News reporter and photographer some of their favorite spots to explore and play at the ranch.

The very best place to be, according to Anne, is next to her mother or father. After that, she tags along with her big brothers as they pat the noses of newborn calves, scurry up a mound of gravel for a quick slide down and wind down with a toasted cheese sandwich.

School will start soon, either at the ranch schoolhouse or at home with approved educational packets. Even those FLDS children not yet home at the ranch will receive packets to begin their studies, said several mothers.

"We'll be grateful when everyone else can come back to the ranch," said Edson. "We miss their contributions and talents. I haven't heard of anyone that doesn't want to come back. There are families all around Texas waiting to be released from their bondage. We miss Barbara and the others. They need to come home."

---

E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com